In July 2005, the ICC decided to inject innovations in one-day internationals after discussions with its Cricket Committee and representatives of the member-nations. 'Powerplays' and 'Supersubs' thus made their debut. They will be reviewed in April 2006, and a decision will be taken on whether to continue with the innovations in their current form or modify them.
 

Already, Inzamam-ul-Haq of Pakistan and Ricky Ponting of Australia, have opposed the Supersub rule and called for its modification. The teams are required to designate the Supersub before the toss takes place. Both Inzamam and Ponting have argued, as have many others, that this gives a unfair advantage to the team that wins the toss.

Imagine a situation wherein one team has nominated a specialist bowler as the Supersub, and the other team decides to bat first after winning the toss. If this happens, the bowling team will be at a disadvantage, as according to the rule, a player, once replaced by the Supersub, cannot bat or bowl. So, if the bowling team is forced to bring in its bowler 'Supersub' in place of a member of the XI, the latter won't be able to play any part in the game. If the player who has been replaced is a specialist batsman, his team will be a batsman short when it gets its turn to bat. A team that has nominated a batsman as its Supersub will be caught in a similar predicament if the other side wins the toss and elects to bowl.

However, a 'discarded' player can return to the field as a substitute fielder. He will not be allowed to bat or bowl. The Supersub can also be called upon at any time during the game. He could even come in for a bowler and deliver whatever overs are left in the latter's quota.

The 'Supersub' innovation in its present form is a boon for the so-called 'bits and pieces' players, who, as the nomenclature suggests, can do a 'bit' of everything. The likes of Vikram Solanki (England) and Suresh Raina (India) fall in this category. The flipside is that this type isn't taken too seriously. These players can be completely ignored if their team feels confident enough to let its 'specialists' handle everything. Australia for example did not use its Supersub in two of the three one-day internationals against New Zealand earlier this month.

Inzamam, Ponting and other critics of this rule have recommended that the teams be allowed to name the Supersub 'after' the toss. Both camps can then nominate players who fit in best with their plans, depending upon whether they are batting or bowling first. The captains can accordingly pick the Supersub and inform each other. They would have no problem doing so, given that the toss generally takes place around thirty minutes before the scheduled start of the match.

To be continued.....

- By Piloo Reporter